So was putting those reddening bruises on Georgia’s neck.
Okay, everything he’s done since he got here has been awful.
Breaking in, to start—I’m still not sure how, aside from thinking it must have something to do with this crazy power outage that didn’t just knock out the regular electricity, but our generator and cell phones as well.
Then grabbing Georgia, hurting her, and using her as leverage to take the rest of us hostage. I’m not likely to ever forget Charlie opening her front door to the sight of Georgia with a gun held to her head. And Bad Breath Needs a Shave snarling, “Come with me. Now. Or I’ll shoot her first, then both of you.”
Even though Charlie and I both know self-defense, with Noel and Sam still asleep inside Charlie’s apartment, we couldn’t risk it. And not with Georgia’s life hanging in the balance.
Oh, and this jerk shot Rylan. I can’t forget aboutthat. Thankfully, it doesn’t look too serious, but still. Heshothim.
And now Bad Breath Needs a Shave is holding us hostage in the main conference room, while Maya, Elle, and all the babies are locked in the windowless storage closet across the hall. Apparently, even our captor draws the line at hurting children, because after he rounded all of us up, he shuttled them off with Maya and Elle while keeping the rest of the adults in here with him.
“You can’t get out,” he said smugly before he shut the door behind them. “Not without windows. And the door will be locked. So don’t even try.” Pausing, he narrowed a menacing glare at Maya, who looked like she was about to argue. “If I hear asoundcoming from in here, I’ll tie up the kids, as well.”
My jaw tightens at the thought of him scaring the babies. Or rather, scaring them more than they have been already. Thankfully, the boys are too little to understand what’s going on. But Clara and Lily are older. Even with Maya and Elle in there to comfort them, they have to know that something’s wrong.
What kind of monster scares little kids like that?
What kind of monster breaks into a home the week before Christmas and takes everyone inside hostage?
Which leads to the next question—what does he want?
Money? But if it were that, why would he come here when there are multi-million-dollar estates just minutes away? Our friends, Cash and Ari, for example—and not that I want anyone to break into their place,either—live in a giant mansion just across town. Of all the places to target for a robbery, it would be a place like that, not the renovated office building Blade and Arrow uses for its headquarters.
But do Ireallythink he’s here for money, given what B and A does? Given that it’s not the first time one of the members has been targeted for revenge, my own husband included?
Selfishly, I’m glad Finnisn’there. It’s not that I don’t want him with me. I do. But in Boston, he’s safe. There’s no chance of him being shot. And if something does happen to me, Finn will be around to take care of Ansel and Porter, who are still safe up in our apartment.
I guess that’s a small silver lining, so to speak. Since I was taken from Charlie’s apartment, Bad Breath Needs a Shave never made it to mine. So he never saw the dogs. Never knocked on my door and heard them bark.
A shudder runs through me at the thought of our captor discovering Ansel and Porter. After all, just because he won’t hurt kids doesn’t mean he won’t hurt dogs. And the idea of Ansel or Porter being hurt, possibly killed…
I swallow hard against the rising lump in my throat.
Some people—non pet owners, usually—brush off having pets as a poor substitute for kids. They say things like,Oh, you can’t love a dog like a human.Or they assume Finn and I only have dogs because wecan’thave kids, rather than because it’s the life we choose.
I mean, Finn and I could have kids, if we wanted. I’m only thirty-five, and I know women in their forties who are still getting pregnant. But we like our life as it is. We can travel when we want because we always have someone at Blade and Arrow to watch the dogs. We can take Ansel and Porter to the dog-friendly stores and restaurants in town. We can bring them hiking with us.
Who knows. Maybe in a year or two, we’ll change our minds. But for now, I’m happy with our furry family of four.
Plus, I have my friends’ kids to spend time with. I love all the babies fiercely—and yes, I still call Clara a baby even though she’s three and a half, and she recently informed me in her most grown-up voice that, “I’m not a baby, Aunt Hanna. I’m a big girl.”And I’d do anything to protect them, including drawing the attention of our captor if it helps Charlie and Georgia get back to them safely.
The gun drifts in my direction as Bad Breath Needs a Shave regards me. His thick brows arch up. His upper lip pulls into a sneer. “Who do you think you are?” he asks with disdain. “And why do you think I care what you say?”
Charlie, who’s tied up in the chair beside Georgia, glances at me. She’s crying, just as Georgia is, but there’s a spark of anger in her eyes as well.
I don’t blame her. If some asshole shot Finn, I’d be beyond furious. All I have to do isthinkabout that guy who tried to blow Finn up, and my face gets all hot and my hands start to shake. If that jerkface hadn’t died injail, he’d have to worry aboutmecoming after him once he got out.
“I don’t think I’m anyone special,” I reply, doing my best to keep my voice from trembling. “And I don’t know that you care. I’m just asking, could you please let them go to be with their kids? Whatever you want, surely the two of us”—I nod at Rylan—“can help.”
Bad Breath Needs a Shave stares at me. Then he barks out a laugh. “Help? With this shitshow? I doubt it.”
“Thenleave,” I fire back. “If it’s such a mess, just leave. We won’t say anything. We can just pretend this never happened.”
Lie. Of course, we’d call the police the second he leaves. But I have no qualms about lying to this guy if, by some small sliver of a chance, it convinces him to let us go.
But it’s clear from the skeptical look on his face that he doesn’t believe me. “Right,” he replies sarcastically. “The perfect Blade and Arrow team is going to let this go? After someone broke into their precious sanctum and held them hostage? I don’t think so.”
